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THE BOTTOM LINE - Los Angeles is running out of time. Homelessness is exploding, public safety is deteriorating, and basic city services—street repair, lighting, sanitation—have collapsed under a bureaucracy that refuses to modernize. CD3 voters are now choosing between two candidates, John Rawlings and Tim Gaspar, who both promise change. But Los Angeles has heard promises before. What we need now is proof that the next councilmember is ready to challenge a broken system, confront entrenched interests, and fight for a Valley that has been ignored for decades.
Because CD3 doesn’t just need representation. CD3 needs a fighter.
During my interview with both candidates, something became immediately clear: regardless of background, style, or political philosophy, Rawlings and Gaspar see the same failures—and they see them clearly. That alone tells you how serious the crisis has become. When two very different candidates agree on what’s broken, it means the system isn’t just malfunctioning. It’s collapsing.
The System Is Broken, and Everyone Knows It
Both candidates criticized the same structural failures that Angelenos have been shouting about for years:
• The Mayor’s refusal to release homelessness data
• LAHSA’s complete lack of transparency
• City departments that operate with zero accountability
• A hiring and personnel system that paralyzes LAPD staffing
• The absence of a Capital Infrastructure Plan
• A budget culture built on political messaging instead of performance
These are not minor concerns. These are the symptoms of a city that no longer delivers the most basic responsibilities of government.
Homelessness: Success Without Data Is Just Political Theater
When asked what metrics should define success in homelessness policy, both candidates emphasized permanent housing outcomes—not motel numbers, not temporary placements, not sanitized data pushed out for a press conference.
And they’re absolutely right.
But here’s the truth: you cannot measure success when LAHSA, the Mayor, and the City Attorney are actively blocking the Controller from accessing data. You cannot fix what you refuse to measure. And Los Angeles is now spending nearly $1 billion a year on homelessness with no reliable public accounting of where that money is going.
Inside Safe has surpassed $250 million without independently verified rehousing outcomes. LAHSA controls more than $800 million with no functional tracking system. And the recent arrests involving homelessness-related fraud are almost certainly the tip of a much larger iceberg.
Without public, quarterly, non-negotiable transparency, nothing improves and nothing changes. The next CD3 councilmember must demand this from day one.
Encampments Near Schools: Enforcement Alone Isn’t a Strategy
On encampments near schools, parks, and transit corridors, Gaspar advocated for aggressive enforcement of 41.18. Rawlings agreed that encampments should not be allowed in sensitive areas—but warned that enforcement without services simply moves the problem from block to block.
Both points are correct.
The bigger truth? Los Angeles has no unified homelessness enforcement policy. Some districts enforce 41.18 aggressively. Others refuse on ideological grounds. The result is a city where public safety depends entirely on ZIP code, and families must navigate encampments based on which councilmember represents their neighborhood.
That is not leadership. It is policy by chaos.
Public Safety: A City on the Edge
CD3 residents know crime is rising because they experience it. Street racing, property crime, catalytic converter theft, and violent incidents along Ventura, Sherman Way, and Reseda are becoming disturbingly routine. Meanwhile, LAPD staffing has fallen to its lowest level in 25 years.
Gaspar calls for rebuilding staffing levels and deploying new technologies like drones and speed cameras. Rawlings emphasizes expanding unarmed mental-health response teams to free up officers for real emergencies. These ideas complement each other—and both are overdue.
But all of it fails unless City Hall fixes the Personnel Department, the greatest hiring bottleneck in the city. Los Angeles cannot police a city of four million people with 8,300 officers. This is not a political argument. It is a public safety emergency.
Infrastructure: The Valley Remains an Afterthought
Rawlings and Gaspar both highlighted a reality that most Angelenos don’t know: Los Angeles is the ONLY major city in America without a Capital Infrastructure Plan. That is why repairs take years. That is why departments blame each other. That is why the Valley continues to be treated as a second-class region.
Without a long-term, coordinated, publicly accountable infrastructure strategy, we will continue patching holes instead of rebuilding a city.
Neighborhood Councils: Voices Without Power
As a Neighborhood Council leader, I pushed both candidates on the outdated $32,000 NC budget. Both agreed NCs deserve more support. But support means more than money—NCs need visibility, engagement, and a real seat at the table.
Los Angeles cannot claim to value community input while starving the very system designed to provide it.
Final Verdict: CD3 Voters Must Demand More
Rawlings and Gaspar presented thoughtful, serious ideas. But even the strongest candidate cannot fix Los Angeles without structural reform, transparency, and political courage.
This election is not about personality. It is not about slogans. It is not about who gives the nicest answer.
It is about who will fight City Hall, not blend into it.
CD3 deserves results, not reassurances. Accountability, not slogans. Leadership, not insiders.
Election Day is coming. Make your voice heard.
(Mihran Kalaydjian is a seasoned public affairs and government relations professional with more than twenty years of experience in legislative affairs, public policy, community relations, and strategic communications. A respected civic leader and education advocate, he has spearheaded numerous academic and community initiatives, shaping dialogue and driving reform in local and regional political forums. His career reflects a steadfast commitment to transparency, accountability, and public service across Los Angeles and beyond.)
